


Aspartame (Just As Sweet)

by akiirameta



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Do I tag masturbation?, Happy Ending, I guess so, Jongin is a rich kid, M/M, fake! sugar daddy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-21
Updated: 2018-05-21
Packaged: 2019-05-09 10:14:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14714141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/akiirameta/pseuds/akiirameta
Summary: Jongin never anticipated to find someone from his university on a site like this.





	Aspartame (Just As Sweet)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kaisoochateau](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaisoochateau/gifts).



> This fanfic is dedicated to kaisoochateau, who is not only the sweetest person ever, but also wrote the outline for this and has been incredibly patient with me while I was writing. I hope you like it!
> 
> Just so no one gets confused about the title: aspartame is an artificial sweetener that is used instead of sugar.
> 
> There are some references in here (like the usernames) that I hope aren't too hard to figure out.  
> If you have questions or just generally want to yell at me, you can find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/mmallow_squishy).
> 
> I have made a [poster](https://imgur.com/a/kcpLmHJ) for this

“Oh my god, close that!” Jongin yells, horrified at the pictures Taemin has pulled up on his laptop. It’s a Thursday afternoon and he’s meant to be studying for his test, but instead there he is, jumping from website to website with his childhood best friend, and the content of said websites just keeps getting weirder.

When they stumble upon some ads that are more than just suggestive, it’s like a light just went off behind Taemin’s eyes. “We should totally check out one of those sites where desperate chicks try to sell themselves for money!”

Jongin hesitates, not sure which direction this is heading, but agrees. The entire site is in a pretty minimalistic black and white design, but the pictures and descriptions speak for themselves. He gets curious and tries to scroll down, but a panel pops up, telling him that any further content is only accessible with a paid membership, and to get a free one-week trial. They look at each other, and Jongin is about to just close the tab when Taemin jumps up from the bed they’re sitting on.

Jongin scrolls back up, looking at everything that is not hidden behind the pay wall, and Taemin quickly returns, sitting down on the bed again. He takes the laptop out of the younger’s hands and starts typing something in. “Wait, what are you doing?” Jongin asks and tries to see what his friend is typing, but Taemin turns the laptop farther away from him.

“All done!” he then yells and turns the laptop back so the younger can see that the pay wall is now gone, and there is a small text on the upper right saying  _my profile_ , the ID _"daddykai88"_  next to it.

“Hyung, what the hell? How did you even sign up for this?” Jongin screeches, voice going embarrassingly high. Taemin smirks and lifts his hand, numbers lazily written on his palm. “You have too much money anyways.” Just when the younger is moving over to hit his best friend, he starts laughing and explains that it’s a free trial, they just need to cancel it later.

Their eyes turn towards the laptop again, and Taemin is the first to grab it. He goes to the “hottest"section, and starts scrolling through pictures of girls that Jongin is sure must have underwent plastic surgery, showing off more cleavage than he’s ever seen someone show out on the streets. Maybe they are just naturally pretty, he then thinks. He’s trying not to judge. When they continue looking at profiles, Taemin suddenly starts laughing. He leans forward, effectively blocking the younger from seeing what’s on the screen to have justified this reaction.

The elder manages to get “A guy, why is there a guy on here?” out between laughs, and leans back so that Jongin can see. The profile picture shows a picture of a guy about their age, and Jongin goes completely silent. He recognizes that face. The ID on the site is “ _ryoechi12_ ”, probably some reference that he isn’t getting. It then dawns on him.  
“Oh my god, scroll back up! That guy goes to my uni!” he yells, and Taemin does just that. When the younger continues to stare, he’s getting a weird look from his friend. Maybe it’s because of the gay porn he’s been watching lately, but the submissive pose the guy is in is doing something to Jongin, though he would never let Taemin know that. The latter gets bored of looking at some weird dude on the site and goes to message one of the girls showing off their assets, but is met with another panel telling them that messaging the popular profiles costs money. Taemin sighs and thrusts the laptop into Jongin’s hands, telling him to just cancel the subscription.

After Taemin leaves, Jongin goes to delete the account, but finds himself looking at the guy’s profile again. He has more pictures up, clearly posed, and showing off his body. A very nice body, Jongin concludes, and downloads the corresponding app to the site on his phone. After signing in, he searches for the guy again and sighs.

The next day, after a particularly boring economics lecture, Jongin is on his way to his car when he sees the guy, accompanied by two friends that seem to be holding hands, one slightly taller than the other. He hears one of them address the guy from the site as Kyungsoo and thanks the heavens for now being able to put a name to that face, and to that body. The images from the site flood Jongin’s head and he groans, thinking about how nice it would be to actually touch all of that. Not that it would be hard to get there, with the way Kyungsoo is advertising himself. He opens the app and pulls up the profile again to make sure that it’s really the same person. He can’t see much on the profile though, most of the information is protected and needs to be paid for. But the few pictures he can see are definitely enough to confirm the guy’s identity. He has a few posts up, talking about random topics, nothing too explicit, but they have tons of likes.

Over the course of the week, Jongin continues to see Kyungsoo on campus, and his thoughts turn dark every time. He knows the guy is easy, that he should have no problem getting what he wants, but there is still something holding him back.

A week later, Jongin finds himself getting stared at by Taemin when he comes back from the bathroom, and he realizes that he should’ve taken his phone with him. “What the actual fuck?” he gets asked, and blushes deep crimson. Not only did he have the app on his phone, meaning that he didn’t delete the account, but there is only one profile in his search history. Kyungsoo’s.

He tries to explain that it’s just because they know each other from uni, and that he’s just reading the statuses and totally isn’t gay, but Taemin isn’t buying it and smirks at his younger friend while typing something. Jongin tries to get his phone back but only succeeds after the elder is done, and sees a message sent to Kyungsoo’s profile, reading _“Hey sexy ;)”_. After that, he doesn’t let go of his phone while his heart beat is going crazy.

 

He doesn’t get a response. Not immediately, at least. It’s a bit of a blow to his self-esteem, but he doesn’t have to sulk for long. It’s late evening when he gets a notification on his phone, the innocent sounding standard ‘ping’ of his phone, but when he checks the message, Jongin almost drops the device.

 **  
** **_ryoechi12:_ ** _Finally. I was wondering when you’d message me and stop stalking my profile._

 **_daddykai88:_ ** _Why do u think I was stalking u?? Full of ourselves, arent we?_

Jongin gags a little when he is reminded of his own ID. Then the thought is ripped away from him when he gets a response. But this time, it’s a picture. A screenshot, to be precise. Apparently, you can see the statistics about who views your profile. And his own silly ID is sitting at number 2. Fuck. How does he answer now? He decides to just go with what he feels like is expected of him.

 **_daddykai88:_ ** _looks like I have competition_

A few minutes pass before the little ‘typing’ appears on screen again, and Jongin is sitting on his bed with his fingernail between his teeth, an old habit he can’t quite shake off.

 **_ryoechi12:_ ** _That depends._

 **_daddykai88:_ ** _on what?_

 **_ryoechi12:_ ** _We’ll see. So, is Kai your name? Or should I just call you daddy?_

He didn’t expect for those words to have this effect on him. The room is seemingly getting hotter, and he slides his hand down his pants while trying to suppress the feelings of guilt. He bites back a moan as his hand glides over the smooth fabric of his black boxer briefs. His fingers dip below the waistband and he has to type with only his left hand now.

 **_daddykai88:_ ** _You should_

 **_ryoechi12:_ ** _Ok, daddy._

 **_daddykai88:_ ** _what should I call u?_

 **_ryoechi12:_ ** _Whatever you want._

The messages come at a fast speed now, and Jongin can feel the vibrations of his phone against his growing arousal. He lets out a groan before answering again.

 **_daddykai88:_ ** _ok baby_

 **_ryoechi12:_ ** _Can I put a face to daddy’s name?_

 **_daddykai88:_ ** _no pics, baby_

 **_ryoechi12:_ ** _So I can’t send you any? :(_

Jongin can’t take this anymore and fully palms himself before sitting up to grab the lotion he keeps on his nightstand. He’s starting to feel light-headed, almost delirious. When he types his next messages, he cringes a bit at the words he just typed, but damn, he really wants this.

 **_daddykai88:_ ** _only if u dont hav clothes on_

It takes a while for the reply to come, and Jongin uses this chance to calm himself down a little. His last message seems more creepy than anything else now, but he thinks that the other is probably used to that, given the site they are on.

When his phone vibrates again, Jongin lets out a swear. His phone struggles a bit to open the picture he just received, but when it does, any coherent thought goes out the window. It’s the first dick pic he ever got, and it probably isn’t even really Kyungsoo’s dick, but Jongin likes to imagine it is. He tries to type out a more intelligent message, but there seemingly is no blood left in his brain.

 **_daddykai88:_ ** _fuckk_

 **_ryoechi12:_ ** _You’re so mysterious, daddy. I’m like this just trying to work you out._

He presses a finger against the sensitive head and hisses a little when precum starts dribbling out. He’s grabbing the base of his cock now, trying to imagine what the other’s plush lips would feel like against it and lets out a moan at the mental image. He lifts his left hand again, his grip on his phone is even more shaky now.

 **_daddykai88:_ ** _are you going to touch urself?_

 **_ryoechi12:_ ** _Only if daddy says I can._

The ask for permission, combined with being called daddy, is too much for Jongin. He quickly types out an answer before throwing his phone down.

 **_daddykai88:_ ** _of course yo can,,_

It bounces on the mattress, but he already closed his eyes, his hand moving up and down hurriedly. He lets out another low moan and his toes start to curl, a tingle spreading throughout his body. It’s so warm suddenly, and he keeps thinking about how good his name would sound in Kyungsoo’s voice. His phone vibrates again, but Jongin’s brain barely registers that. His left hand is gripping at the sheets and the heat finally washes over him.

Afterwards, he just lays there, breathing heavy, when he remembers to check for further messages.

 **_ryoechi12:_ ** _I hope you’re thinking of me._

 **_daddykai88:_ ** _did you finish, baby?_

 **_ryoechi12:_ ** _Mhm. It seems like you did, too.  
_**_ryoechi12:_ ** _I’m sorry daddy, I have to go, brb._

His original doubts return to Jongin. He can’t believe he just sexted on the first conversation, this is so unlike him. He remembers how long it took him to get anywhere with the last girl he liked. But then again, this had never been just a friendly chat to begin with. He goes back to the Kyungsoo’s profile and sends him a tip to his linked bank account.

 

Jongin is running late and is on his way to class when he spots a familiar face. He’s still tired and his brain hasn’t quite caught up yet, so it takes him a while to place where he knows this guy from, but when it clicks, he abruptly stops walking. It’s Kyungsoo, and he’s with the same two friends as a few days earlier, probably on the way to class. One of them must’ve told a joke, because he’s smiling wildly and Jongin can’t believe how cute he looks. When he moves to playfully hit the taller of his friends, Jongin suddenly remembers the picture he had gotten a few days ago and silently curses. He tries to remind himself that he’s supposed to be straight, and is still standing still in the middle of the pathway. When another students bumps into him, he remembers the class he was going to and hurries off.

Later that day, Jongin sends him another message, and they actually manage to have a somewhat normal conversation. When he tries to find out what the other majors in, all he gets is a change of topic. It frustrates him how little they know about each other, but he also understands the risks of sharing too much information, especially given the short amount of time they’ve know each other for.

 **_daddykai88:_ ** _so why are u on here? is that a stupid question_

 **_ryoechi12:_ ** _Tuition is ridiculous and I just like to be able to afford things._

 **_daddykai88:_ ** _like what? is there something you want?_

 **_ryoechi12:_ ** _Well, my portable speaker just broke and it’s really annoying._

 **_daddykai88:_ ** _yeah, I can imagine.. I’ll help you out if u answer some of my questions_

Kyungsoo tells him when his birthday is, leaving out the year, and that he prefers dogs over cats. Jongin regrets not asking better questions, but still sends 20 dollars to the other’s bank account.

It continues like that - Jongin leaving tips for more answers, for pictures, and eventually, voice messages. The soft warmth of Kyungsoo’s surprisingly deep voice makes Jongin melt and while he doesn’t make him dirty talk, the effect is similar. The thought of others receiving the same treatment by Kyungsoo shouldn’t bother Jongin, since that was obvious from the start, but he still finds himself getting jealous.

When he asks Kyungsoo whether or not he still talks to other people, he ensures him that he’s the only one, but Jongin highly doubts that. He finds himself unable to do anything about this though, as he isn’t really in a position to stop Kyungsoo from talking to other people.

 

A few weeks after they first started talking, Jongin is growing more and more frustrated. He can’t deny how attracted he is to Kyungsoo, and at the same time he’s sure that the other doesn’t even know of his existence past his stupid, superficial texts, money and general horniness.  
When he sees him on campus again, he can’t help himself anymore and approaches the smaller. Jongin walks up to him and while he’s trying to figure out what to say, because fuck, he didn’t think this through, Kyungsoo is raising an eyebrow.  
“Do we know each other?”  
The taller is thrown off his tracks. “No. Yes. Kinda.”, he mumbles, and Kyungsoo’s eyebrow is hiking up even further. The smaller isn’t saying anything, and Jongin knows that he needs to explain himself. He tells himself to just be confident, because honestly, why shouldn’t he be?

“Would you go on a date with me?” he says, a little to rushed, and waits for a response from a startled Kyungsoo.  
“I’m flattered, but”, the smaller hesitates, “I don’t know anything about you.”

Jongin almost snorts at that, because Kyungsoo knows more about him, has seen more of him, than any other first date he’s ever had. He really wants this, though.  
“Well, we’ll get to know each other over dinner?”

The smaller looks really uncomfortable now and starts to shift away. “Sorry, I’m… I’m just not interested. No offense, though.”

With that, Kyungsoo leaves and Jongin is still standing in the same spot, dumbfounded. This isn’t how he envisioned this conversation to go. He turns around to see the other walk off and decides that he isn’t ready for his plan to fail.  
“Do you have a boyfriend or something?”, he yells, and Kyungsoo spins on his heels. When the smaller glares at him, it dawns on Jongin that he didn’t only just cause a scene, he also made the whole situation worse. People are looking at him, and the discomfort that comes with that is just adding onto how bad he feels. He isn’t used to rejection, and the fact that he was just rejected by the first guy he ever crushed on is like twisting the knife that is already wedged into his heart.

 

In the evening, he gets a notification on his phone, and when he checks it, he isn’t sure whether to laugh or to cry. Kyungsoo messaged him again, but of course he doesn’t know that it’s Jongin. He chooses to ignore the message, but he’s also feeling petty, so he opens the app to deliberately leave him on read.  
Even though he is tempted to reply, he doesn’t, at least for the next day.

In a particularly vulnerable moment, he does finally reply, but his messages are short, lacking all the warmth they held before.

 **_ryoechi12:_ ** _Is anything wrong? You seem weird lately._

 **_daddykai88:_ ** _no. I’m fine._

Kyungsoo doesn’t reply after that, and Jongin’s rational side says that he did this to himself with the way he was being passive-aggressive. He tries to go back to writing the essay that’s due in just a few days, but finds himself unable to make the words flow in any way. Everything is just frustrating now, and he goes to make himself some food.

Later, he glances at the time on his laptop and it’s past midnight already. He sighs, and closes the device before turning onto his side. He has his phone in his hand now, and slowly presses the home button. He goes to stare at his conversation with Kyungsoo and starts typing before he can really think about it.

 **_daddykai88:_ ** _can I tell you something?_

 **_ryoechi12:_ ** _Sure, anything._

 **_daddykai88:_ ** _Is it crazy if i say that Im in love witg you?_

He curses internally at his typos, because they don’t fit the serious tone, but he’s laying on his own arm and that's somewhat impacting his mobility. After five minutes, he still doesn’t have a reply, and is starting to get increasingly nervous. Just when the feeling from their confrontation creeps back onto him, his phone vibrates softly.

 **_ryoechi12:_ ** _Do you really mean it?_

 **_daddykai88:_ ** _yeah_

Jongin can’t bear to look at his phone at first upon receiving the next answer. When he does look, the message is everything he ever wanted, but it’s all wrong. There is no sincerity at all, of course, how could there be?

 **_ryoechi12:_ ** _I love you too ♥ I can’t believe you feel the same way!  
_**_ryoechi12:_ ** _I’m so happy right now :)_

 **_daddykai88:_ ** _Me too._

It’s a lie. He isn’t happy at all, matter of fact, his eyes are starting to feel more and more wet. Everything is just lies, and he can’t stand it.

For fifteen minutes, the other doesn’t reply, and Jongin’s emotions become too much for himself. He tips Kyungsoo 20 dollars, and gets a message straight away. Their whole relationship is so messed up, and Jongin shuts off his phone before turning onto his back. He’s trying to go to sleep, but in reality, he’s just staring at the ceiling.

 

After two more days of mindless small talk, Jongin finally snaps, and send Kyungsoo money again. This time, the amount is so high that the app asks for confirmation, and has him put in some of his credit card details again. He doubts himself while double-checking the numbers again, but at this point he’s pretty much numb and just hits ‘send’. What are 300 dollars, anyway? He had spent more money on stupider things before. Or at least that’s what he tries to tell himself.

 **_ryoechi12:_ ** _Daddy, what was that for?_

Jongin hesitates before answering, and he doesn’t really want to admit that he’s somewhat heartbroken, the explanation is too difficult.

 **_daddykai88:_ ** _Just because._

 **_ryoechi12:_ ** _It’s too much, daddy :(_

 **_daddykai88:_ ** _No, its an apology_

 **_ryoechi12:_ ** _Why, though?_

 

Jongin types for a long time, rewriting his answer over and over again. It’s so hard to admit that he’s in the wrong, and he knows he’ll face some consequences.

 **_daddykai88:_ ** _for… not treating you right. being an asshole._

 

He doesn’t get a response, and Kyungsoo is probably waiting for him to elaborate, but this whole situation is so messy. One part of him wants to be told that he wasn’t an asshole, that he shouldn’t apologize, but the other part of him knows that more lies won’t fix anything. In the end, he doesn’t explain, and he’s already feeling awful about losing even the little bit of affection Kyungsoo gave him.

 **_daddykai88:_ ** _i don’t want to do that to you any longer.  
_**_daddykai88:_** _I think itll be better if I leave you alone_

 **_ryoechi12:_ ** _Wait  
_**_ryoechi12:_ ** _Don’t go._

 

Jongin checks his hair for the what feels like millionth time, and his heart rate is starting to alarm him. He still doesn’t fully know how he ended up in this situation, especially because of the story the smaller told him about having to call the police when meeting up with someone once, but he’s about to meet Kyungsoo. They agreed on a relatively cheap restaurant near campus, just so they were as comfortable as possible given their situation.

When he arrives there, a few minutes late because he kept checking if he really had everything he needed with him, Kyungsoo is already there. Jongin is yet again reminded of how cute the smaller really is, watching him nibble on the straw in his drink. When he approaches the table, Kyungsoo looks up and his already big eyes widen even more. Jongin sits down and he’s still being stared at.  
“Wait. You’re that guy from campus? I-... what?”  
The taller just smiles at him and puts his hands on the table. While he tries to remain calm, a sense of guilt won’t leave him, and he’s pretty sure that it’s easy to spot from the outside. Kyungsoo stares at him for a while, tries to say something but always stops after the first word.  
“Did you tell _anyone_?”, he finally asks, and Jongin ensures him that he didn't. It’s not exactly the truth, since Taemin was there when they first started talking, but Kyungsoo doesn’t need to know that right now.

They talk for a long time, and it’s mainly Kyungsoo asking questions and Jongin doing his best to answer them. He finds out that he can call the other “hyung”, and promptly starts doing that. It’s a dramatic change from their previous online dynamic, but the younger is ecstatic about breaking away from that, anyways. He ends up apologizing for confronting the elder in public, and how he treated him in general. Kyungsoo smiles at that, and he generally seems to be starting to be less tense.  
“I know the website is kinda made for that, but did you really have to ask for nudes in our first conversation?”  
“Well, I mean, uh... “  
“You’re aware that that wasn’t my dick though, right?”

Jongin groans internally. He had suspected that, yes, but the confirmation just makes him regret sending actual pictures of himself so much more.  
“To be honest, you still were one of the nicest people to message me on there. You should see how some people tried to treat me, it’s wild.”

Instead of answering, the younger pauses to think for a while. He hadn’t considered that, while he certainly hadn’t been a gentleman, the site they were on had to attract all types of douchebags.  
Jongin ends up paying for their food, even though Kyungsoo keeps on insisting on paying for his own instead. When he arrives back at his apartment, the younger feels content. Sure, it’s not like they were suddenly madly in love, but it seems like Kyungsoo doesn’t hate him, at least not anymore.

He tries to work on his essay now, and he should have turned it in the day before, but his mind keeps wandering to Kyungsoo, to his throaty laugh and heart-shaped smile. He grabs his phone, opens the app again and tries to ignore the bad memories attached to the chat.

 **_daddykai88:_ ** _so I was wondering, what are u majoring in?_

 **_ryoechi12:_ ** _Talking on here is too weird now._

 **_ryoechi12:_ ** _Do you have kkt?_

 

 ** _dyo_kyung:_ ** _jongin?_

 **_changjong:_ ** _yep, the one and only_

 **_dyo_kyung:_ ** _just making sure I added the right person._

 

The actually end up talking, and it’s nice to have a normal conversation, without the expectation of money being transferred. They keep joking around and he keeps grinning at his phone so much that his friends asks him what’s wrong.  
Kyungsoo starts to tease him about little things, like repeating his typos or telling him that he uses way to many emojis, but Jongin doesn’t mind. He likes to tell the elder that his feet can at least reach the ground when he sits down at a bus stop or how he wasn’t using IDs based on sports anime.

 **_changjong:_ ** _I miss the daddies._

 **_dyo_kyung:_ ** _Ew, are you serious? That shit’s gross._

 **_changjong:_ ** _worked on me, tho_

 **_dyo_kyung:_ ** _Ok that’s weird too. No talking about what works on either of us, please._

 **_changjong:_ ** _Fine :( What are u doing atm?_

 **_dyo_kyung:_ ** _Scamming money out of two millionaires and messaging one asshole as I memorize my lines. You?_

 **_changjong:_ ** _Not much :)_

 **_dyo_kyung:_ ** _Wow, still such a mystery._

 **_changjong:_ ** _Haha, Im just lying in bed talking to u_

 **_dyo_kyung:_ ** _The bed was an unnecessary detail._

 **_changjong:_ ** _ryoechi12 would disagree ;)_

 **_dyo_kyung:_ ** _Stop it._

 

Jongin is tying out a reply, but Kyungsoo is faster and the younger deletes what he had written.

 **_dyo_kyung:_ ** _You have to forget everything that I said in that conversation, okay? And delete the pictures, too._

 **_changjong:_ ** _but I need those D:_

 **_dyo_kyung:_ ** _They’re not even my dick!_

 **_changjong:_ ** _I’d say they work for me, but I’m not allowed to ;)_

 **_dyo_kyung:_ ** _You’re such a fuckboy I can’t believe this._

 **_changjong:_ ** _So, me asking you on a second date, weird or not weird??_

 **_dyo_kyung:_ ** _Super weird._

 

He’s writing a message about how they should just forget about it, but the elder is fast again. Usually, it takes Kyungsoo a while to reply, probably because he actually does his work for uni, unlike Jongin.

 **_dyo_kyung:_ ** _Let’s hang out on campus, but it’s not a date._

 **_changjong:_ ** _wait, really?_

 **_dyo_kyung:_ ** _Yes. I have more questions to ask you._

 **_changjong:_ ** _Me too! I’ll bring the credit card :))_

 **_dyo_kyung:_ ** _That was implied._

 **_changjong:_ ** _so I let u do your lines now?_

 **_dyo_kyung:_ ** _Probably. I can’t get much practicing done when I have three horny idiots on my case._

 **_changjong:_ ** _:(_

 **_dyo_kyung:_ ** _What? -.-_

 **_changjong:_ ** _I’m offended, Im not even horny at the moment._

 **_dyo_kyung:_ ** _How rare. Let’s keep it that way._

 **_changjong:_ ** _:P  
_**_changjong:_ ** _Bring ur lines tomorrow, I’ll help you practice!_

 **_dyo_kyung:_ ** _Who said anything about tomorrow?_

 **_changjong:_ ** _I did! When and where are we meeting??_

 **_dyo_kyung:_ ** _Jesus christ._

Jongin is nervous again, but for different reasons than the last time they met. He’s just excited to spend some time with Kyungsoo, even though the elder still claims that it’s not a date. He keeps fidgeting and clicking his pen, earning himself some annoyed stares.  
They meet outside Jongin’s lecture hall since his classes end later than the acting major’s.

They get some coffee, or hot chocolate in the younger’s case, and sit down outside. It’s a nice day, the sunshine is making Kyungsoo’s skin glow, and Jongin can’t seem to stop staring. He lets the elder asks all the questions he has, but ends up blushing hard at some of them when he’s confronted with some of the things he said online.  
He almost drops his hot chocolate when he finds out that the elder is actually a virgin, and starts to feel really bad about the contents of their first conversations before Kyungsoo tells him that he was neither the first nor the worst of the people on the website. Jealousy flares up in Jongin again and he starts pouting.

They don’t practice Kyungsoo’s lines, but they have a good time regardless and agree to meet again before parting ways. Jongin’s heart rate is off the charts again when he gets to hug Kyungsoo goodbye. The smaller smells really nice, like warm citrus, and the younger is almost feeling lightheaded because it's such a small, cute detail to know about each other.

 

When he’s back at his apartment, Jongin realizes that, if he wants to date Kyungsoo, and he certainly does want that, he’ll have to admit to people that he isn’t actually straight. He contemplates further, and decides to not tell his family for now, but he would feel like he’s lying to his friends if he doesn’t tell them.

 **_changjong:_ ** _hey tae?_

 **_taemwork:_ ** _what’s up_

 **_changjong:_ ** _uh… this is kinda awkward_

 **_taemwork:_ ** _??  
_**_taemwork:_ ** _what did you do this time_

 **_changjong:_ ** _nothing, I just need to tell u something_

 **_taemwork:_ ** _holy shit you’re gay_

 **_changjong:_ ** _kinda? bi, probably. or pan. haven’t figured out the label yet_

 **_taemwork:_ ** _THAT EAS A JOKE  
_**_taemwork:_ ** _wait, really?_

 **_changjong:_ ** _yeah_

 **_taemwork:_ ** _oh, that’s cool tho. I don’t mind or anything  
__**taemwork:** just don’t hit on me. _

**_changjong:_ ** _don’t worry, you’re ugly anyways_

 

He doesn't tell Taemin about Kyungsoo, not for now, but he knows that he'll have to explain eventually. He knows that the elder will laugh at him, but ultimately wouldn't end their friendship over something like that.

Jongin almost sees it a miracle how well he and Kyungsoo get along, considering both their differences and where their relationship started.   
When they are on their fourth date (the elder insists that it's actually the third), they end up getting ice cream and the younger laughs at Kyungsoo for getting it all over his face. That's when he finds out that getting punched by the smaller, no matter how playfully, really hurts. later, he also finds out that his lips are even softer than he imagined. 

Kissing Kyungsoo is something he could do for hours, even after months of being together. But they never go for more, and while Jongin isn't mad about that, he does start to fantasize about it occasionally.  
When they do finally have sex, the word "daddy" isn't heard even once.


End file.
